Redmon Road campground project to go before Marshall Board of Adjustment

MARSHALL - Throughout the last three months, Marshall's Redmon Road area has become a popular destination for developers proposing campgrounds.

But a number of Redmon Road residents have expressed their disapproval of the projects' proximity to their properties.

The Marshall Board of Adjustment will meet Dec. 11 to vote on the proposed campground along Redmon Road.

In the Marshall Town Board's Nov. 20 meeting, the board heard from residents expressing their disapproval of the project.

In that meeting, the board voted unanimously to approve a text amendment to its Unified Development Ordinance to eliminate campgrounds as a permitted special use in the R1 low density residential district.

Kaitland Finkle is a regional planner with Land of Sky Regional Council who also serves as the town's zoning administrator.

Finkle said the town Planning Board recommended the proposed text amendment to eliminate campgrounds as a permitted special use in the R1 district in a June 20 meeting, citing "potential benefits for the future development of the town, and that it also advanced health, safety and welfare to the town overall."

Town Manager Forrest Gilliam emphasized that the R1 district is the most rural area in the town, usually where there is no sewer service.

"R2 is where most houses in town are; It's kind of the mid-range, and R3 is where you've got apartments and things like that," Gilliam said. "So, currently campgrounds are only allowed in OSR, which is an outdoor space, which is the island, the preserve over here at Hayes Run and the old 25/70 out here, and I think the foot of Redmon Road. R2 and R3 do not have campgrounds already, so this would take them out of R1 as a special use and only have them in the OSR district."

A handful of residents agreed with the planning board's recommendation to remove campgrounds a permitted special use in the R1 district, including Michelle Morrison.

"I've been here in Marshall for about 10 years, living in Dr. McElroy's old home," Morrison said. "When I bought that home from the McElroy family, I promised them that I would restore it to its former glory and that I would be a good steward to the land.

"Over the last six to seven years, I've been disappointed to see the property next to mine, owned by a limited liability corporation, has done some extensive clearcutting, especially right next to the house. There is no more buffer of trees. There is no more forest. I look at a pit of despair outside of my kitchen window every day. I just came home from work on (Nov. 17), and found a letter proposing a campground that's going to be right there. We are 100% against this on our lovely Redmon Road. Campgrounds are for rivers, state parks and seclusion, not for residential areas where people are going to be staring at my house and garage, and I have to be staring back."

Linda Jarvis has lived on Redmon Road for more than 50 years.

"This is our third campground on Redmon Road now, and only two will be active," Jarvis said. "This new one, that's going on, from what I've heard, their dreams are really, really big. Although I hate to squelch anybody's dreams, from what I'm hearing, it could be astronomical. So, I request that both you pass this amendment and consider some restrictions on one that's being proposed."

The campground project that was approved by the Board of Adjustment was submitted by Josh and Sarah Noah for a project titled Noah Family Farm semi-developed campground.

According to the application, the project is for approximately 20 acres and is contained in the R1 district. The property itself is 31 acres and is located at 131 Frisby Road.

Joseph Cippolina is the applicant for the Marshall Mountain Campgrounds project, which will go before the Board of Adjustment Dec. 11.

Finkle told The News-Record & Sentinel the Marshall Mountain Campgrounds project will be allowed to go before the Board of Adjustment as a R1-zoned project since the application was received before the ordinance amendment banning campgrounds in the R1 district.

The project is proposed for 830 Redmon Road.

"I would just like to say, while our dreams may be big, it's not what maybe you guys have perceived," Cippolina said. "Robbie, my business partner in this, he has a degree in conservation. I have a permaculture design degree. We have 14 years together in the Marine corps. We absolutely love nature and have no intention of changing things. What we want to do is allow people to enjoy nature."

According to Cippolina, while the project itself spans more than 100 acres, the campground itself can only be 10 acres.

He addressed Morrison's concerns and said he plans to provide adequate buffering.

"I understand that you have an issue with the buffer," Cippolina said, referencing Morrison. "I will absolutely plan to create either a fence or plant trees, because what we want to do is really restore and beautify the land. I've been walking the land a lot lately. There's a lot of invasive species."

Cippolina said he's contacted the N.C. Forest Service about doing continued work to beautify the land and rid it of invasive species and "bring the land back to life."

"It's kind of been very ignored lately," Cippolina said. "I think that's a shame because walking that property, there are so many beautiful views of the French Broad River, the Blue Ridge Mountains, and it would hit the top. If you look down, there's a perfect, perfect view of Marshall next to the French Broad, that's absolutely gorgeous.

"I feel like it would be a shame not to be able to share that with people. I think that people from all over, including locals in the community, would love to see that. I hope that all of you please feel free to contact me and come see the property, talking about your concerns, because what I'm trying to do here is not change Marshall. I'm trying to just enhance it and bring beauty to it, and to let people appreciate what Marshall really is."

Cippolina said he's aiming to cater the campground to the community's needs and wants.

"Please don't think that I don't want to hear your voice, and I'm just going to bulldoze over everything and create some crazy amusement park-type thing," Cippolina said.

Marshall Town Board member Billie Jean Haynie asked Cippolina whether he would be willing to work with the town board and the Board of Adjustment on placing restrictions on the proposed campground, as the Board of Adjustment did with the Noah family project.

"When something goes to the Board of Adjustment, they are tasked with basing their decision on what's in that ordinance. So, the first thing you do is look at whether it's allowed in that district, and it is, currently, in the ordinance that the town enacted in 2011," Gilliam said prior to the board's vote to restrict campgrounds in the R1 district. "Then, from there, there are a number of requirements that the ordinance lays out about the size, the setback and those sorts of things.

"What the Board of Adjustment cannot do is make a decision based on someone's opinion about not wanting campgrounds near them. It has to be based on it not meeting those standards, basically. You all have the leeway to make that legislative decision that you don't want to allow them in those areas. That's the difference."

To view the town of Marshall's Unified Development Ordinance, click here. To view the town's zoning map, click here.

The Marshall Board of Adjustment will meet at 6 p.m. Dec. 11 at the Marshall Town Hall, located at 180 S. Main St.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Redmon Road campground project to go before Marshall zoning board